In Christ, Part 7 - Everything You Could Ever Need

If you haven't been following along with this series up to this point, so far we've discovered:
 - The Gospel of being "in Christ" carries the power of salvation.
 - Sin is no longer an issue in our lives...not in power and not in penalty.
 - We were raised up to a brand new life when Jesus rose from the dead.
 - We now have an immediate and eternal hope.
 - We've been raised up and glorified with Jesus.
 - We now have a joint identity with every other believer on earth.

We've learned about who we are in Christ.
Now let's take a look at what we have access to in Christ.

Ephesians 1:10-11 "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance..."

Look at the way Paul says this:
"All things in Heaven? They're in Christ."
"All things on earth? That's all in Christ."
"And us?...We're in Christ too. As an inheritance, we have access to it all!"

Here are some of those things that we now have access to in Him. If you'll stand on this word by faith, you will never lack anything you need to serve His purpose! Let's not leave any of this on the table and unused...

Access to Wisdom

Colossians 2:3 "...in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

When you were placed in Christ, you were given access to all the wisdom of the ages. Jesus IS the wisdom of God...and you are now IN HIM. You'll never need to go without wisdom again! You'll never again need to wonder about what you should do, how to do it, or what you should say.

1 Corinthians 1:30 "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us wisdom from God..."

Access to Provision

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Now, I don't want to take this verse out of context...because there is an action on your part to access this promise. (If you'll read verses 10-19, you'll see why this verse starts with "and".) But if you'll do what the Philippians did - You can take this promise to the bank!

In Christ Jesus, you have unrestricted access to all of God's riches and glory!

In Christ Jesus, you can expect all your need to be met!

What does this mean for you? It means you'll never have to tell God, "I know what You're saying, but I can't do that...it's too expensive!"

Access to Boldness

Proverbs 28:1 "...but the righteous are bold as a lion."

Are you righteous? Then you don't have to cower or be intimidated by anyone! You can step out boldly in faith, and declare God's Word without fear.

When that spirit of timidity (2 Timothy 1:7) tries to shut your mouth around unbelievers, you can say what Paul said in Ephesians 3:12 - "In Christ I have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him!"

Access to Strength

Let's face it, there will be times in life that God will call you to do impossible things.

Have you heard the saying "God will never give me more than I can handle?" That's based on a very loose interpretation of 1 Corinthians 10:13, where Paul tells us that God will always provide a way to escape temptation. It would be incorrect to claim that verse actually says "I'm strong enough to handle everything that comes my way." As a matter of fact, you're not capable of handling much by yourself. 

But aren't you glad you're not by yourself?!

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

YOU cannot do all things. Don't be deceived into thinking you can.

But THROUGH CHRIST, you can do all things! How is this possible? Because He gives you strength!

You can face any challenge.

You can go through any hard time.

You can take on any responsibility.

You can shatter any addiction.

You can obey God's every command.

In Christ, you have the strength to do anything - no matter how difficult!

All Through Grace

Here's how all of these things are possible. Here's how you can have the wisdom of God. Here's how you can have all of your need met in Christ's riches. Here's how you can be bold and courageous. Here's how you can be strong enough to do anything.

It's all by the grace you have in Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand..."

When you're in Christ, standing by faith, you are standing in grace. Don't misunderstand what Grace is - it's not only about the forgiveness of your sin. The best definition of Grace I can give is this: God's grace is complete access to everything you need to serve God in your life.

Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably..."

Romans 1:5 "Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations..."

Grace is the availability of all that you need to serve and obey God.

You couldn't obey God from a guilty conscience - so grace forgave and erased the sins you committed.

You couldn't follow God's commandments on your own strength - so grace empowered you to obey Him.

You couldn't fund God's plan for your life out of your own pocket - so grace brought you all the resources you needed.

You see...God wants you free to do what He called you to do!

Everything you need is all freely provided inside God's grace. And you were commanded to stand strong inside that same grace. 2 Timothy 2:1 says, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

This is the key...it's not about what you have or don't have inside you...it's recognizing what you have in Christ. Stay in Christ. Stay in grace. Stay in faith. I promise you...when you stay there, you'll have everything you'll ever need!